Friday, November 2, 2012

In my previous article we had a look at the land available in Disney theme parks all around the world for a future Star Wars Land. Now, what about having a look at Star Wars attractions concepts which, until now, never become real - because there have been a few since the last thirty years, and as you will see they had brilliant designs. One of the most spectacular concept was indeed the one below that Tim Delaney did for Disneyland Paris. As you can see the Space Mountain dome looked like the Death Star (well, a "half" Death Star, in this case) and on the right you can also see Han Solo's Millennium Falcon. A big part of the land would have had a Star Wars design. Now, as you know there is a Star Wars land project for DLP, but don't worry Space Mountain will keep its dome like it is right now and there is no chance that this expected mini-land will look like Tim rendering. That said, if WDI Imagineers design a SW land in the future they might take some inspiration from this great concept-art.

Another artwork from Tim Delaney, always for Disneyland Paris, is showing a different Star Wars vehicle standing at the entrance of Star Tours, instead of the X-Wing fighter!

Another great concept was the Plectu's Galactic Revue. "Plectu's Fantastic Galactic Revue" was part of a new attraction/show announced in 1990's famous "Disney decade" project. Supposed to replace the Carousel of Progress at WDW, it was, a see know, never built. The renderings of this "Plectu's" project are extremely rare, but here is one showing how the exterior would have looked. Let's thanks Mark Taft from the excellentInsight and Soundsblog who had the good idea to take the picture of the artwork in 1990 at Disneyland. In one of his famous "Why for?" articles published in 2004, Jim Hill described the building exterior theming as "Like someone had brought the Mothership from "Close Encounters of a Third Kind" in for a three-point landing in the heart of Tomorrowland".

It was one of the first project that Imagineer Eddie Sotto did at WDI and what is less known is that it has been also envisioned for DLP. On the picture below you can see the model of it, done by WDI Imagineer Bob Baranick from Eddie's drawings ( the artwork above is not from Eddie and was done a bit alter ). According to Eddie the concept was that a spaceship had landed with a travelling alien show inside - with audio-animatronics of course - and it was supposed to be part of a Georges Lucas inspired Tomorrowland.

None of these concepts were realized but others will be in the future for an inevitable Star Wars land - inevitable because it's purelogic - and just like you i can't wait to see the renderings! Talking about renderings, an artist who might be great for doing them could be Albert Yu, who worked as freelancer for Lucas Arts and also for WDI during eight years. Albert did some artwork for Test Track, Honey... and Rock and Roller Coaster. Below you'll see three artwork from him - as far as i know not designed for a Star Wars attraction - but the look is quite close to the Star Wars universe. You can see more artwork from Albert Yu on his web site HERE.

To come back to Star Wars rides concepts, a few months ago i found something pretty incredible, and it was a design of a Star Wars roller coaster called "warring coaster", which was NOT designed by WDI!

I found it thanks to wdidreamer, a member of WDWMagic.com forum, who posted the pictures above and below from a U.S. patent supposedly filed by WDI last year. The title of his thread was "After Star Tours....is this what's next?" and almost instantly members of WDWMagic forum were amazed by what looks like an incredible Star Wars dueling roller coaster concept.

There was just a little problem: as i told you, this patent filed in 2010 is NOT a WDI patent! So, if this amazing concept was not designed by WDI Imagineers, who did it? A closer look at the patent reveals that it was filed by someone named Jonathan Gordon. And, yes, if you call WDI switch board they will confirm that there is no Jonathan Gordon working at Imagineering, so it's definitely not a WDI patent. I really wanted to know more about this mysterious and exciting Star Wars concept and I finally found the web site of Jonathan Gordon – www.gordonrides.com – a company that "offers new and innovative amusement rides and attractions for customers that demand the latest and greatest". Their rides are based on proprietary designs that they develop in-house. They work "with the finest engineering and manufacturing firms in the amusement industry to ensure the creation of a product that is second to none".

That sounds good, so I decided to give them a call hoping to talk with Jonathan. Luck was with me, as it was Jonathan himself who answered my call. Jonathan kindly accepted an interview and provided me with precious details about his Star Wars roller coaster concept. As you can see on the pictures above and below, the concept looks like a dueling coaster but in fact it's more than that, it is a "warring coaster" which Jonathan on his web site describes like this: "The Warring Coaster concept takes an armed conflict from a film or a story and allows riders to live it. Through the use of multiple trains on multiple tracks, giant themed arenas, animatronics, interactive laser gun systems, and much, much more, the Battle of the Death Star* from Star Wars* roars to life! This is the ultimate in themed rides and roller coasters combined."

Well, it certainly looks like the "ultimate ride" and on the patent drawing above you'll see that the coaster can have up to six different tracks with six vehicles moving simultaneously. The launch would be done by linear induction or linear synchronis system and the vehicles would reach 50 miles per hour in a few seconds. And because this warring coaster is designed with a Star Wars theme, the vehicles - I mean, the fight - will be between X-Wing fighters and Tie Fighters! Each vehicle will have six seats, and each guest will be able to use a mounted laser gun to shoot at the "enemy". Each hit will be counted and will appear on the fighter’s screen, and in addition to the usual lap bar there will a grab bar which will be helpful to guests if they need to steady themselves while they are shooting.

One of the questions I asked Jonathan was about the size of the X-Wings and Tie fighters. When you look at the drawings of the X-Wing fighter above and the Tie Fighter below, the vehicles look huge and I wondered if it was possible to have such big vehicles on a coaster track. According to Jonathan it would not be a problem as long as the vehicles are light enough. If we take the X-Wing fighter, for instance, the wings would be made of fiber glass over an aluminum frame with minimal steel reinforcement, and of course the important "middle" part of the vehicle frame and structure will be in steel.

Still, when we look at the drawing with its incredible tracks and considering the large size of the vehicles I couldn't stop thinking that this indoor project will require a huge facility and Jonathan confirmed that his concept indeed requires a huge building. But the best is yet to come, as this building would be fully themed so that the epic battle between X-Wings and Tie Fighters would take place over the surface of the Death Star and inside the famous Death Star trenches - yes, the same trenches in which the final battle happened at the end of the first Star Wars movie (Episode 4) or also in Star Tours 1! You can see in the drawing above where it is written "Main Trench". You'll note also the words "Millenium Falcon" which indicates that Han Solo’s fighter should be included in the decor.

Another great idea - a genius idea I must say - is the one related to the queue. As there will be two "teams" riding at the same time, guests will be divided – they will either join the "rebels" and board an X-Wing fighter or they will join the "Empire" and board a Tie Fighter - they will be directed down two different paths and in each of them they will have access to Death Star or Rebel Fleet ship turrets - as such, the queue decor will be "inside" the Death Star or a Rebel Fleet ship. Each turret will be equipped with laser guns AND using these laser guns guests in the queue will be able to "fire" at the roller coaster vehicles as they enter the Death Star trenches! On the drawing below the numbers 406, 410 and 416 represents the locations of some of the turrets guns.

Each hit from the turret guns to the vehicles would tally additional points which would be counted in the final count. At the end of each ride, depending who is the winner (based on the number of points), either the Death Star will "explode" - with the use of lighting and pyrotechnic effects - or, if the Empire wins it will be the rebel planet base which will "explode" thanks to projection effects.

Isn't it an amazing concept? It surely is, but, as with each concept, there are also some difficulties which would need to be resolved. For example, how the guests would board each vehicle, especially the X-Wing fighter. Jonathan imagined a system where the upper wings could be moved down to make the boarding easier, as shown on the first drawing on items 516 and 526. Technically, Jonathan is pretty sure that everything he designed in this ride can be done. Of course the biggest problem would be the cost of the ride. To give you an idea, at WDI this kind of ride would cost probably around $150M - at least. The huge facility would cost a lot, too. The ride hour capacity could be also a problem, especially considering the inevitable tremendous success of this Star Wars ride concept. Even with six tracks, considering that each of the six vehicles will embark six guests that makes 36 guests only for each ride, and considering that it would be probably a 3 minutes ride that makes an hour capacity of 720 guests which is indeed not enough. However, the patent notes that a proper block-section design could allow for multiple vehicles to run on each track at the same time, which would resolved this hour capacity problem. Last but not least, considering the size of the vehicles the ride would need a huge show building. To give you an idea how big can look a X-Wing fighter - in its real size - have a look t this picture showing Imagineers at work in a WDI facility on the X-Wing fighter now in place at DLP Star Tours entrance.

Regardless, it is a fantastic Star Wars attraction concept, and probably just like you, I wish to see it becoming real. Jonathan unfortunately can't propose his concept directly to WDI as Imagineering generally doesn’t accept concepts coming from the outside but who knows, now that Disney bought Lucasfilm, if it happens that a WDI imagineer read this article and love Jonathan's ride idea then we might ride this Star Wars roller coaster in the future!

Finally, and always about future Star Wars rides, i don't know if you've noticed but almost all Star Wars vehicles are "flying" vehicles. There is almost no "cars" vehicles, and when there is cars the cars are also flying - like in SW Episode 2. That will not help WDI Imagineers when they will design new Star Wars rides. And considering that there is already a Star Wars ride using a simulator - Star Tours - AND that they're also apparently going to use another kind of high-tech simulator for the upcoming Avatar ride, the best would be that they create something totally different, right? But they also can't use the Test Track technology like they did in Cars Land, as there is no cars! So, how will they do? Come back on monday, as i've found something that for sure is going to interest you...

See you on monday and in the meantime please note that some of the artwork above can be find in my DLP book. Those of you who are interested by this great book might have a look at the presentation article on the book web site HERE. Important Note: We're running low of the ENGLISH edition copies of the book and we know that by the end of the year the english collector's edition will be sold out. If you don't own the book yet and wish to order a copy please do it as soon as possible!

* Death Star, Star Wars are trademarks of their respective owners who do not endorse GordonRides LLC, nor are they in any way connected with GordonRides. Concepts presented in The Warring Coaster are the subject of several pending patent applications owned by Jonathan Gordon, the principal of GordonRides.

Bad times for Darth Vader! Since Disney bought Lucasfilm three days ago all the fan club is having fun of Vader now being part of the Disney family! Comments, cartoons or even videos like the funny one below which was originally a Disney Parks “What are you going to do next” commercial and has now a totally new significance...

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Since yesterday's announcement of the Disney - Lucasfilm deal all Disney and Star Wars fans around the world are now expecting new Star Wars rides - or even Star Wars lands - in Disney theme parks. And there is no doubt that Iger will ask WDI Imagineers to design new Star Wars attractions "and sooner better than later".

Considering that Disney has paid $4Billion to acquire Lucasfilm, creating big Star Wars lands in Disney parks is probably Iger's wish, but a wish - even upon a star - is not always enough to make it a reality as the main problem to resolve here is not "what" to do ( it's also a problem but WDI Imagineers will resolve this one as long as Disney give them the right budget ) , but more "where?", Sure, they will always find the room to add a new Star Wars ride but it would be a pity to have spent $4B to buy Lucasfilm and now that there is no more license to pay to don't build a full Star Wars land, right? So, let's have a look to where Disney have enough room available for a Star Wars land, thanks to Google Earth views, and let's start with Disneyland.

Disneyland Resort :Ooops, no room available!

If we have a look at this Google Earth aerial view we can see clearly that wherever you look there is no room available to create a big Star Wars land whether it'll be at Disneyland or DCA. And the fact that Star Tours is located at Tomorrowland entrance doesn't help as, even if they had some room available backstage for a SW land, ST2 would be too far to be included in it. We know that the Innoventions building will be used soon for an Iron Man ride and except if Disney decides to re-theme the whole Tomorrowland on a Star Wars theme - Space Mountain included - there is no way they can create a Star Wars land inside Disneyland. Sure, if they also remove Autopia they will have a big piece of land but i really think that using it to build a big Star Wars land would be a mistake, that a whole land on a Star Wars theme would be too strong for Disneyland spirit. Instead, the right choice might be to revive the DLR third theme park project, and dedicate it - at least for a big part - to the Star Wars universe, that would make more sense.

Walt Disney World : Revenge of the Empire!

As we know Disney can't put any Marvel ride in Wat Disney World - actually anywhere "East of the Mississipi" as written in the contract that Universal signed with Marvel a long time ago - and the Disney empire will now have its revenge! You can be sure that Universal is gonna pay a huge price to don't have been cooperative and if Iger can build a brand new Star Wars theme park at WDW he will do it. Sure, the Star Tours ride is at Disney Hollywood Studios but if you look at the Google Earth shot below you'll see that here too they don't have a lot of room available. There is three major roads on each side of the DHS and on the fourth side it's the parking lot. As DHS already have Star Tours a Star Wars land would make sense there but except if they decide to use the lower left part of the parking lot, it's not gonna be easy to do it.

But they also have plenty of land available on the other side of the road near to Star Tours and another solution might be to build a bridge over the road and use this land. Of course the passage on the bridge would have to be themed in a way that DHS guests can't notice that they're moving out of the park limits but that would not be the most difficult.

That said, the real good idea would be to create at WDW the full Star Wars theme park that everyone is wishing since thirty years - and they better don't tell us that there is not enough material in the SW universe to build a full theme park!

Disneyland Paris : At last, some land available
I told you before that DLP has a secret Star Wars land project which is supposed to transform the area between Star Tours and the Pizza Planet restaurant in a mini Star Wars land. But the park has much more land than that available for an even bigger Star Wars land as they could use the land between Star Tours and It's a Small World previously reserved for a Toon Town that will never come to DLP Magic Kingdom. Sure, they've put on it a huge tent mostly used for special events and VIP dinners but this bloody tent is not gonna stop them if they really need the land!

And why not at the WDS, you ask? Well, they sure have more land available at the WDS, specially in the back of the park, but considering that they apparently plan to build at the WDS a Marvel land as well as an Avatar ride AND that Star Tours is currently in DLP Magic Kingdom, i don't see a Star Wars land coming at the WDS - although it would fit better there than in Discoveryland. Also, DLP always have a third theme park project and the good idea in fact could be to have a big Star Wars land and a big Marvel land as well as a Cars Land in this third theme park. It probably will mean to "move" Star Tours to its new destination but this cocktail could be really successful...

Tokyo Disneyland : 'Time to fill again the sea, folks!
Tokyo Disneyland has the same problem than Disneyland, Anaheim, they simply don't have any room available for a whole Star Wars land. That said, at TDL Star Tours is located not too far from a coach parking lot. Considering TDL all year long success i doubt that Oriental Land will decide to sacrify this needed parking lot, and if they don't there won't be any other solution than to keep a Star Wars land concept for a third theme park. The problem here is that they also don't have land available outside the park, so may be TDL will have "only" a new Star Wars ride instead than a whole land.

Hong Kong Disneyland: All the land you can dream of for a Star Wars land

Of all Disney theme parks Hong Kong Disneyland is the only one which has the land available for a big Star Wars land. In fact HKDL not only have enough land available to build a full Star Wars theme park but the land is also ready and if they wish they can start building on it tomorrow! They won't do it of course but the land reserved for HKDL second gate is fully dry - it was the China sea before being land filled - and yesterday Bob Iger himself mentioned HKDL ( as well as Shanghaî Disneyland ) as the two parks which would potentially have Star Wars rides/lands? in a near future. Chinese, though, will have to be patient as HKDL second gate probably will not happen before 2020, mainly because HKDL still have some room available in the first theme park, and they will use it first for upcoming new rides.

Shanghaî Disneyland : A Star Wars land heaven ?

Considering that SDL is not built yet AND that they have plenty of land available you can count on Iger to introduce Star Wars rides - if not a land - at Shanghaî Disneyland. My advice? Delete the Toy Story land which is placed just over SDL Tomorrowland and use it for a Star Wars land, it probably will be more expensive but it will be also much better.

We're not done yet with this Disney - Lucasfilm deal and its effects on Disney theme parks, so come back tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

This Is the news of the month, folks, and we're not April Fools day! It's official: Disney and Lucas announces that Disney acquire Lucas Film for $4B and this includes not only all the rights of the Star Wars franchise but also Georges Lucas SFX studio Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, of course Indiana Jones license, and much more. In addition Disney and Lucas also announces that a Star Wars 7 movie will come in 2015 AND episode 8 and 9 are also planned. As a matter of fact the episode 7 is already in early stage development and you can expect a new Star Wars movie each 2-3 years!Incredible. The consequences of this are going to be enormous and there is a lot to say about what will happen next, but for theme park fans who are also Star Wars fans this is real good news as you can expect numerous development of the Star Wars franchise in Disney theme parks. Now that Disney will not have to pay a license fee each time they do a new SW inspired ride - and now that they will re-launch the SW movies - you can expect not only new Star Wars rides but very probably a whole Star Wars land if not a full theme park! And yes, Disneyland Paris fans are now closer than ever to get the Star Wars mini land expected in Discoveryland...probably after the release of the Star Wars 7 expected in 2015.There is a lot more to say about this amazing news which came with a sound of thunder, and i'll be back soon to tell you more. In the meantime, please read the full WDC release below!Here is the official video with Lucas and Iger signing the deal!They also did a conference call and here is the video - actually only the sound - of it!On this next video George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy discuss the future of Star Wars movies.And here is the official press release!Burbank, CA and San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2012 – Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments."Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars,one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.""For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization,Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products."Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Warsfranchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star WarsEpisode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term.Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has madeStar Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.Pictures and Video: copyright Disney - Lucas Film

Not only there is a Halloween party at Disneyland Paris Magic Kingdom, but there is also Terrorific Nights at the WDS! And thanks to Max Fan from DLRP Welcome and D&M contributor we have a video to share with you. There was several "horror zones" and here are the list of them and at which "minutes" you will find them in the video below:Darkness Blvd : 3mnRock'n'Roller Coaster : Police scientifique: 5mn30scStudios Tram Tour: 8mn28scCinémagique "Terreurs": 21mnspycho Blvd & whitechapel 1888 : 22mn30scHorror Market: 22mn45scHorroic Fantasy & Horror Brass Band: 23mn50scCrush's Coaster: 24mn48The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: 26mn26scStation-service : 28mn29scDarkness Blvd : 30mn23scSurprise : 32mn45sc

Monday, October 29, 2012

Here is a new Disneyland Paris update thanks to Max Fan from DLRP Welcome and D&M contributor. Lots of pictures of the works on the Ratatouille ride at the WDS but we'll begin by the Disneyland park as, good news, Peter Pan's Flight is open again after a few weeks of refurbishment. Nothing of course has changed in the ride itself but apparently the ride itself is smoother but the arrival remain always a bit hard. That said, we're pleased to hear that they've improved it as since they installed the boarding of two vehicles at one time some years ago it seems that it had an effect on the smoothness of the ride.

Nearby, It's a Small World Celebration with the special Christmas theming that happen each year now during the Christmas season seems to be already in place, even if the Christmas season is not begin yet. Or may be it's just the sign which has been changed.

In Adventureland, guests could meet Baloo and King Louis, as the characters were out. I know it looks as something minor but although DLP guests are used to see them on the floats during the parade it's more rare to meet and greet with them in Adventureland , and don't ask me why!

On Central Plaza tehre was also minor painting works on the new building built early this year in which is the Disney Dreams show control operations.

Let's move now to the Walt Disney Studios as i know you're dying to have some news of the Ratatouille ride works!

Max have plenty of new pictures of the Ratatouille works for you and as you'll see the show building structure is changing very fast from one week to another.

Have a closer look at this next picture as you'll see the metallic dome structure which should be an important element of the ride. 3D projections should happen under this dome - which will be covered by a screen, of course.

What, you don't see it? Let's zoom in the picture, do you see it now?

There is more to see if you take the Tram Tour as the the tram moves near the Ratatouille show building. And what you can see is that they are currently in the insulation process which also look as what might be a start of theming, at least on one of the wall.

More pics of the Ratatouille works will come soon, so stay tuned on D&M. Also, here is an important message from Disneyland Paris to those of you planning to join the Halloween party on Oct 31 as the park wants you to know that there is some rules about the kind of Halloween costume or make-up that you're allowed to come with.

If you still don't guess what it mean, it means that no "bloody zombie" will be allowed in the park, and don't even dare to come with a make-up like the one below as you can be sure you will NOT enter DLP Magic Kingdom! ( Yeah, i know, this one is really scary but it's the perfect example of make-up that the park will not allow! )

See you soon for a new update and in the meantime those of you who are interested by the great DLP book might have a look at the presentation article in the article below or on the book web site HERE.

Important Note: We're running low of the ENGLISH edition copies of the book and we know that by the end of the year the english collector's edition will be sold out. If you don't own the book yet and wish to order a copy please do it as soon as possible!

IMPORTANT NOTE: We're running low of ENGLISH edition copies of the book and we know that by the end of the year the english collector's edition will be sold out. If you don't own the book yet and wish to order a copy please do it as soon as possible!

For those of you who have never seen the book you'll find below a video presentation of the full book which will show you each page of the 320 pages of the book. And, most of all don't miss the comments of those who have already received the book at the end of the book presentation!

For those of you who don't know what is the Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality collector's edition here is more details: the collector's edition is printed on a luxury glossy paper, it has a gold printing on the cover and dust jacket, is limited at 2000 copies in english ( and 2000 in french ), each copy has a number, AND each copy include four beautiful "lithographs" of WDI artwork for the Walt Disney Studios. Each of these lithographs can be put under frame. Also, the contents of the book is exactly the same than the first collector's copies printed ten years ago. And only the collector's edition is available, the regular edition is sold out.

Here is how to do to order the book:

So, how to pre-order a copy of this collector's edition? First, send us an email at: neverlandeditions@gmail.com ( with as subject: "dlp book order" ) to let us know that you want to order a copy, how many copies you want, in which language ( english or french edition? ) , and your shipping address.

How to proceed for your payment: We prefer a Paypal payment. Paypal is a very safe way to pay without giving your credit card number. For a payment with Paypal the total amount must be sent through Paypal at the email adress: neverlandeditions@gmail.com

OR, even more easy, you can now order the book directly from this page and proceed to the payment with Paypal by clicking on the "Buy it Now" Paypal button below! Order two or more copies an enjoy an additional discount!
Also, don't forget to let me know your shipping address and to confirm your order and payment AND to say if you want the book in english or french edition by sending us an email at: neverlandeditions@gmail.comIMPORTANT - PLEASE READ: Whatever the book quantity you will choose you'll see that in the next page that will open the quantity written in the "quantity box" is "1". I tried everything possible to change this and to have the right quantity appearing but it still doesn't work. SO, when you will do your Paypal payment please don't forget to write in the text box the book quantity that you have ordered, AND also tell it to me by email. No worries, though, as i will also be able to identify instantly how many copies have been ordered when i will see the amount paid. Thanks!

Choose quantity and enjoy an additional discount !

If you don't have a Paypal account: either you know someone who have one and through which you can send the payment, or you can pay by check if you live in france or with a bank wire transfer ( no foreign checks, sorry ). If you want to do a wire transfer please let us know in your email and we will send you the bank infos.

Below you'll find a description of the book as well as visuals of the inside pages ( click on the mosaic pictures to see them in larger scale ). The printer did an incredible job, and the printing and binding is just perfect! I did a video to show you the final product, exactly the same one than you will receive if you order the book, and you can watch the video below!

Although you've probably heard about this beautiful book, many of you may have never seen a copy of it. So we've done a video presentation of the full book which will show you each of the 320 pages of the book! The book includes 750 pictures of the park, including 250 gorgeous renderings of Walt Disney Imagineering and stunning pictures of the park seen from above. The book is so big that it took us seven and a half minutes to show you the full book, and that's without stopping turning each pages! So, if you want to have a closer look at a page don't hesitate to stop the video. Finally, because we didn't had any more a collector edition copy the video is showing the regular edition of the book, not the collector's edition that you will receive if you place your order, but the inside pages are exactly the same.

Description of the book:

The book is a gorgeous "coffee table book" with 320 pages and 750 pictures - of which 500 are park and attractions photos and 250 are Walt Disney Imagineering renderings!

The size is 9 x 12 inches, all pages are in color and it's hardbound with a glossy dust jacket. The text (by Disney historian Didier Ghez), was written after more than 75 interviews he conducted with all the Imagineers who created the park. He goes into just about everything you wanted to know about this unique place that many describe as the best "Magic Kingdom" ever created by WDI.

It took five years to create the book, but it was worth all the time we spent on it, and the book looks just as good as we had hoped for at the beginning - in fact Imagineer Bruce Gordon told us that it was "probably the best book ever done on a Disney theme park". Coming from Bruce who did with David Mumford the great "Disneyland, The Nickel Tour" book, it was more than a compliment.

The first chapter about Main Street has 52 pages and introduces the reader to the "legend" of Main Street, USA. You'll learn all about the Disneyland Paris Railroad, the unique "Discovery" and "Liberty" Arcades; find out about the architecture, the restaurants (like "Walt's," a tribute to Walt Disney, but also inspired by Club 33 in Anaheim) and the shops; with dozens of photos, renderings, models, and reproduced for the first time here, all the "cities of the future" posters located in "Discovery Arcade."

The second chapter on Frontierland discusses the park's western side with extensive sections about its major attractions, "Big Thunder Mountain" and "Phantom Manor." In fact the book has the longest sections ever put together in a book on all the major attractions. The Pirates of Caribbean section in the Adventureland chapter is 26 pages, Phantom Manor has 16 pages devoted to it, as does Space Mountain, it's a small world, etc. The photo material was so great that we kept adding more pages to the book, which was supposed to have only 240 pages when we started... we ended up with 320 upon completion!

The Frontierland chapter also covers the Mark Twain, the River Rogue Keelboats, Fort Comstock, all the restaurants, the shops and Cottonwood Creek Ranch.and featuring stunning photos of Disneyland Paris from the air by Yann Arthus Bertrand, author of The Earth from Above that make spectacular "double-pages," and allow the reader to discover the park from a whole different angle.

The Adventureland chapter is even more interesting, as many elements of the land exist only in Paris - such as the Bazaar and Aladdin to Africa and the ex-"Explorer's Club." Plus there's a long section about "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril," "Adventure Isle" and "The Swiss Robinson Treehouse" and, of course, "Pirates of Caribbean" the land's major attraction and featuring its amazing Audio-Animatronics! All in all there are 56 full pages about Adventureland, and as in the previous chapters, there are dozens of photos, lots of concept art, and many shots of Imagineers at work. There's even a great bonus here, with the Marc Davis artwork for "Pirates" also included.

56 full pages are also dedicated to Fantasyland. There's an extensive look at Sleeping Beauty Castle, sections on all the dark rides (Snow White, Peter Pan and Pinocchio), as well as a look at "Alice's Curious Labyrinth," the "Mad Hatter's Tea Cups," "Storybookland," and "Casey Jr." There are even 14 pages about "it's a small world" with stunning photos of nearly all the scenes in it. Here the reader can discover a new attraction that exists only at Disneyland Paris, with a great view from above of Alice's Labyrinth.

Discoveryland also gets 52 pages of special treatment, with sections on the Visionarium, the Nautilus, Star Tours, Space Mountain, and everything you wanted to know about the other attractions in this land – Autopia and Orbitron. In fact the Nautilus chapter takes you on a visit with photos of every room of this detailed walk-through and two double page photo spreads, one which makes you feel you're inside Captain Nemo's grand salon, and the other showing you a unique view of Discoveyland featuring the Nautilus and Space Mountain in a kind of "CinemaScope" view.

When the book was released in early 2002, the Walt Disney Studios didn't exist, so you won't see them in the book. But there's still one last chapter about the hotels of the park, and Disney Village too, with the great Buffalo Bill Wild West show that entertains hundreds each evening.

And because every day in a Magic Kingdom should end with a parade and fireworks, we have the Main Street Electrical Parade that close the book, with also an Herb Ryman gorgeous painting in the very last pages!

Order the book directly from this page and proceed to the payment with Paypal by clicking on the "Buy it Now" Paypal button below! Order two or more copies an enjoy an additional discount!
Also, don't forget to let me know your shipping address and to confirm your order and payment AND to say if you want the book in english or french edition by sending us an email at: neverlandeditions@gmail.comIMPORTANT - PLEASE READ: Whatever the book quantity you will choose you'll see that in the next page that will open the quantity written in the "quantity box" is "1". I tried everything possible to change this and to have the right quantity appearing but it still doesn't work. SO, when you will do your Paypal payment please don't forget to write in the text box the book quantity that you have ordered, AND also tell it to me by email. No worries, though, as i will also be able to identify instantly how many copies have been ordered when i will see the amount paid. Thanks!

NEW! Disney and more Surveys !

I introduce today on the right bar of this D&M website a series of surveys to know what YOU wish as new additions / rides / lands for Disneyland Paris park and the Walt Disney Studios! Depending of the survey, as indicated, you're asked to choose either one, two, or three choices. And results can be seen instantly.

The folks of Disney are following Disney and more and your opinion may have more influence than you think for future attractions, so make sure to do the survey! The survey don't request any name, email address, etc, so it's totally anonymous. Make sure to think wisely for your answers, as you can choose only one time!

These surveys may not appear on a mobile device so you need to answer them from your computer.

Tower of Terror SURVEY!

I add today Sept 22 a new survey below, and the question for this one is simple : do you wish that the WDS Tower of Terror will be transformed in a Guardians of Galaxy ride, similar to the one at DCA? Go ahead, place your answer!

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Choose the THREE favorite LANDS you wish for DLP WDS

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Hello everyone, thanks to Max, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster i have for you today a looong article with which you'll hav...

Disneyland Paris Book

The acclaimed Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality 320 pages book is no longer available from the publishing company Neverland Editions which has stop its activities. Anyone looking for an English or French edition copy must send me an email at nme4@wanadoo.fr and i'll tell you where or how to find one. Le livre Disneyland Paris, De l’Esquisse à la Cration n'est plus disponible auprès de la société d'édition Neverland Editions qui a arrêté son activité. Toute personne à la recherche d’un exemplaire du livre en français ou en anglais doit m'envoyer un email à nme4@wanadoo.fr

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NEW! Theme Park Design Book!

David Younger's Theme Park Design & The Art of Themed Entertainment Is the Awesome Book About "Imagineering" that theme parks fans have always dreamed about! Don't miss this fantastic 570 pages book that you can order in one click with the Paypal button below! The Paypal button menu also include an option to buy both the Theme Park Design book AND the Disneyland Paris book if you wish! To learn more about the book, click on the above cover picture.

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For an important message, or infos about the DLP book, or if you have pictures who will be great for an article on Disney and more you can contact me at: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr

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